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Will the real PageFlow please stand up?

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Several weeks ago, Matthew Winkler posted about a new sample of how to implement Page Navigation using Windows Workflow Foundation. Upon hearing this several users of WCSF were baffled wondering how this differs from the PageFlow functionality that ships as part of the factory. To clear up the confusion, Matt's gone and created a series of posts explaining the differences. Below is a summary of the points Matt raised, as well as the functionality that the Pageflow app block provides that the sample does not.

  • The sample does not use a state machine, and uses a new workflow type called a NavigatorWorkflow.
  • NavigatorWorkflow is designed to more accurately model a UI process. Instead of having to manually overlay event activities to handle different transitions and use else/if activities for more complicated scenarios, the new type includes a notion of 1 to n transitions each which can have different rules associated with them.
  • Supports multiple UI interactions at the same time. In a state machine you can only be in one state at any one point in time. Another words in MVP parlance you can have several views each at different points within the same flow.
  • PageFlow app block supports multiple providers and ships with a default workflow implementation. The sample is built in and bound to WF.
  • PageFlow app block supports the ability to specify how to handle / block if the user tries to jump to a different page within the site once they are in the flow. The NavigatorWorkflow does not enforce this. PageFlow does this through use of a custom HTTP Handler.
  • PageFlow app block associates the flow with the user. Even if the user logs out, the flow can automatically resume when they log back in.
  • PageFlow app block adds a persistable state bag for passing data in and out of the Flow.
  • The sample is essentially unsupported whereas PageFlow is supported by p&p.

Aside from the fact that this sounds like some cool stuff, this begs the next question I am going to ask. Is this kind of functionality something that you think we should be looking at for Web Client?

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Comments

  • Anonymous
    June 27, 2007
    Yeah. I mean, yes. Or rather, YES.

  • Anonymous
    June 27, 2007
    Updated to version 1.1 Changes Corrected the install to display the EULA at a more opportune time (thanks

  • Anonymous
    August 03, 2007
    It's a great model for page flow. I do think the 1 workflow per app limit will make organizing large sites kind-of messy. The PageFlow model also seems to make it difficult to integrate standard workflow logic in with pageflow logic. Overall, it handles persistence, page transitions, tracking, and complicated UI-flow models very well.

  • Anonymous
    September 06, 2007
    NavigatorWorkflow is definitely worth using instead of state machine in the PageFlow app block .

  • Anonymous
    September 19, 2007
    I have not been blogging much recently since I have been leading the Client team here at patterns &